Epidemiology of rubella infection in Cameroon : a 7-year experience of measles and rubella case-based surveillance, 2008–2014
Date
2017-04
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
Abstract
Objective The aim of this study was to estimate the
proportion of rubella disease in a measles case-based
surveillance in Cameroon prior to rubella vaccine
introduction into the national immunisation programme.
Design This was a cross-sectional study for rubella
infection in Cameroon for the period 2008 to 2014.
Setting Patients suspected with measles from the 10
regions of Cameroon were recruited according to the WHO
measles case definition and were tested for rubella IgM
antibodies accompanied with the case report/investigation
forms.
Participants All persons with rash and fever within 14
days of onset of rash according to the standard WHO
African Regional Office (WHO/AFRO) case definition for a
suspected measles case.
Outcome measures Descriptive analyses and simple
logistic regressions were performed. OR were estimated.
Results A total of 9907 serum samples from people
with fever and rash were received in the laboratory from
2008 to 2014. A total of 7489 (75.59%) measles-negative
samples were tested for rubella; 699 (9.3%) were positive
for rubella IgM antibodies. Logistic regression analysis
was done using IgM antibodies detection as the outcome
variable. Age, sex and setting were explanatory variables.
Logistic regression analysis revealed that, comparing
the proportion of rubella IgM seropositivity status by age,
the association to a positive rubella IgM increased with
age from 1 to 4 years (OR 7.11; 95% CI 4.35 to 12.41;
p<0.0001), through 5 to 9 years (OR 13.07; 95% CI
7.93 to 22.93; p<0.001), to 10 to 14 years of age (OR
13.86; 95% CI 8.06 to 25.12; p<0.001). Persons aged
≥15 years were also more likely to have rubella infection
than children under one (OR 3.69; 95% CI 1.85 to 7.48;
p=0.0001). There were also significant associations
with sex, with males being less associated to a positive
rubella serology than females (OR 1.33; 95% CI 1.14 to
1.56; p=0.0001). No statistically significant difference in
proportion of rubella cases was observed between urban
and rural populations (OR 1.11; 95% CI 0.94 to 1.31;
p=0.208).
Conclusions This study reveals that rubella virus
circulates in Cameroon, with important number of cases in
children under 15 years. This finding supports the planned
introduction of rubella-containing vaccines into the
Expanded Program on Immunization.
Description
CITATION: Nimpa Mengouo, M. et al. 2017. Epidemiology of rubella infection in Cameroon: a 7-year experience of measles and rubella case-based surveillance, 2008–2014. BMJ Open, 7(4):e012959. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012959.
The original publication is available at https://bmjopen.bmj.com/
The original publication is available at https://bmjopen.bmj.com/
Keywords
Rubella, Measles virus, Infectious diseases
Citation
Nimpa Mengouo, M. et al. 2017. Epidemiology of rubella infection in Cameroon: a 7-year experience of measles and rubella case-based surveillance, 2008–2014. BMJ Open, 7(4):e012959. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012959.